Studio Brief 1- Paperman

Paperman

Paperman is a Walt Disney animation. This is a fairly new release and is the first animation to be produced by Disney that merges hand-drawn and computer-generated animation techniques. This has been found to be very popular as the overall aesthetic of the characters are charming and draw people to them and to get attached to them and their story.

I really love the style that this animation has been done for colours and shading, as the whole thing has been done in black and white where only her lipstick print has been done in red. This really shows how much the colour contrasts with their world. When watching this animation you can really see how different it is when the art style looks like it should be 2D then looks 3D overall so this would have taken such a long time to produce and get correct.

The audience for this animation would be aimed at everyone as Disney movies are aimed at children but the overall concept and theme is grown up enough for adults to enjoy it as well. As it is a love story where he is trying to get her attention and failing as she cannot see the paper planes he is throwing to her. This is what made this animation so popular because it appeals to everyone therefore can be enjoyed and appreciated more.

Studio Brief 1- Contre Temps

Contre Temps

This animation was created by The CGBros, by the Contre Temps Team and was published on Youtube in 2013. This animation was done using effects and paintbrushes that create a watercolour effect before being rendered and having CGI added. It is about an underwater city that has a time of day when the water lowers so one man can go out and collect treasures, which he sees as clocks being his most useful treasure.

This is a beautiful animation that has stunning environments throughout as well as having nice character designs and overall visual effects that draw the audience in and create interest in the story. The character design shows the male to have sharp squared features as he has been hardened from his time alone whereas the little girl is innocent so her features are soft and smooth, showing the designs to be well thought out.

I think the media used and the lighting is used to show dramatic effects which adds to the animation itself. This is shown when the tide goes out and the world is calm, refreshed and beautiful whereas when it comes back in it is dark and sad because once again the man and now the little girl are trapped inside.

Studio Brief 1- Thought of You

Thought of You

This animation is called 'Thought of You' by Ryan Woodward and really peaked my interests when i saw the style in which it is done but also the fluidity of the characters motions within the animation as they are shown to be spiritual, liquid but also moving ribbon that floats lightly around.

The character design in this animation has been done very simply as the body's have sketch lines and circles within them to show they are 3D and simple. Although they also contain different tones, shading and line work which really draws me to the aesthetic, but also makes their movements look all the more effective, when their body is moving along with it surreally.

http://ryanwoodwardart.com/my-works/thought-of-you/  - This link is showing you how it was made. Real dancers were used for him to get the correct look of each move that was drawn which is why this animation look so effective as you can tell he really researched into what dancers move like and how they look doing it.

This animation is trying to tell a love story where she is spiritually with him. He is fighting to get to her but she keeps pulling away until she finally wants to be with him but its took late and he has given in. You can clearly see this story as she is in a different colour to him and is only the same colour at the end when he walks away.

This is why i like this animation so much as it hold so much emotion when no words are spoken so it shows just how effective animation can be when it is silent.

Studio Brief 1- Solipsist

Solipsist

This stunning animation was created by Andrew Huang, as well as a massive crew of people to get this final outcome. The way this animation was created was a very difficult and time consuming but payed off in the final outcome.

The way it was done, seen in the clip below, was that they took small clips of film where the girls were swaying, then at the same time the animators were digital moving the fabric and insect things on them, like when they take over their faces, it was done right then and there. 

This is why this animation is so impressive, because i've never seen one done like that where it was all done at the same time which is why this all took so long. The way they have been designed though it very clever, they are clearly been taken over by a monsteresque, insect thing, but its just fabric that they are using so this is why it is interesting. 

Studio Brief 1- Reaping for Dummies

Reaping for Dummies

This animation was created by CGI VFX Animated Shorts by some graduation students from their 3D design and animation course and was published in 2013. The students are from Norway and are called; Jonas Martin Larsen, Øyvind Fiksdal, Eilef Sandnæs, Eskild Carlsen & Yvonne Engbråten.

This animation reminds me of the Looney Tunes 'Wile E. Coyote and The Road Runner' where the two main characters could chase each other for eternity but never catch each other. This is what makes this animation funny but also really makes you get attached to the characters. You start out not liking the smaller character as he is trying to kill the reaper who comes across really nice yet you start to like him when you realise he is trying to kills him too so its an even fight.

The character design of these two character is very well done because they wanted the reaper to be tall and thin, so they really accentuated his lankiness so he is all bone with skin over the top. With the smaller character they wanted him to be short, they then made him about 2ft tall and quite round which is a good contrast to the reaper. This is why i like them as they are very opposite extremes of each other.

Studio Brief 1- Out of Bounds

Out of Bounds

This is an animation created in Denmark by Animation Workshop. I chose to look at this animation because it really speaks volumes with the character they have designed and used. The person in this animation has severe OCD, where his life must run in and must follow a schedule. I really love this because people never get to see just how much people with mental health issues have to go though on a daily basis. This is an extreme yet it gets across his struggles.

I always love these types of animations as they have a purpose, to portray this characters life as a struggle is this animations job to make the audience to understand. The body language of this is also important. The animators must have really understood what was going on in his head when certain things happen as his rocking body, arms used as barriers to protect him, moving houses to distort the world and banding of the head to keep him in reality and feeling safe. Never before has i seen this animated which is amazing to see.

I think the message overall is telling people to not judge people so easily as you don't know what they are going though, it is also trying to point out that you have to be kind like his neighbour, as someone could need help but not be able to ask for it. This animation really makes the audience think of mental health which is what I'm very interested in creating myself, so my animations could have really meaning and purpose like this one does.

Studio brief 1- Meet the Pyro

Meet the Pyro- Team Fortress 2

This is an introductory character for a game called 'Team Fortress'. This was created by Team Fortress themselves as it helps promote the new characters for their games by showing their back story but also what they are like as people which is very different as most games dont do that.This animation is also very interesting because the characters come as blank models for certain programmes so they can be the same looking characters that can be manipulated by the creator, so this lets the fans create their own animations and therefor help them promote their game.

These character designs are looking at the stereotypes of the human form, if they're supposed to be buff, they are extremely over buff and if they are skinny, they are overly skinny. This is quite an important thing for the characters though because the game has added mass and weight to the characters which is really good because if they are big they are slower and the skinny characters are swift and light.

This animation is for older people as it includes violence and blood within it, it also includes themes that children would not understand, like mental disorders and mass murder. The message this is all telling is that if you choose to play the game round with this character, he sets everything on fire leaving nothing behind which is all you need to know, this animation is just to comically show a little extra.

Studio Brief 1 - BattleBlock Theater

BattleBlock Theater Opening Cinematic

This is the opening animation for a game called BattleBlock Theater which was created by 'The Behemoth' which have a way of creating characters have little features and yet large amounts of expression. The playful faces and overall intro shows just what the game is like but also that this game and animation is for all ages, The language is very tame and the overall animation is easy to follow but i feel the sarcasm and humour will go over most peoples heads but it makes me laugh ever time so it is a good humorous introduction.

The purpose of this animation is to introduce the game and what it is about, but also introducing some of the main characters that are not yourself as a player and what the overall look of the game is and is like. This media is really good because it is all animated yet aesthetically it looks like paper puppets which is very clever of them to do. This also shows some of the humour, like when you can see the stick when the boat gets turned over.

The character design in this is very easy to do as it is boxes, circles and triangles with very pencil looking drawn faces which makes their aesthetic so desirable as it is so different yet simple. 

Studio Brief 1- 'Take on Me'

a-ha- 'Take on Me'

The method of making a music video with rotoscope was most famously done when a-ah created their classic song ' Take on Me' ,which was make famous not only for the song but for the video that accompanies it.

The purpose of this video was to show what it would look like if real people suddenly turned into animated characters, this is interesting because it makes it seem that characters in books and on shows are trapped so it is a deconstructive genre that looks at characters as real people with real lives.

The audience for this would be people who like this form of music as it is a very classic song but for the animation i would say it could be for all ages but older people would understand it is a love story of the guy falling for the woman and breaking out of his world to be in hers in this style of metaphor.

The character designs in this would have been a lot easier to make than doing them from scratch as the use of rotoscope means that the actors were doing all the movement and the characters, which were their animated selves, were drawn on top.

Studio Brief 1- Zero

Zero

 

 Zero is a very interesting animation that was created in 2011buy Jealous Creative and has won many awards for the message that it sends across. That everyone is worth something.

Zero in my view is about how out world runs and what happens when you are born in 'Classes'. First class is easy as you are born into wealth and therefore more opportunities which are represented at 9's. Middle class is the in-betweens, 5 is average where they are told you can only achieve so much and you will not have a fun interesting life really. And then there is Lower class, shown as 0's which means society thinks they are a waste so in this animation they are bullied and shunned.

The interesting use of material for the characters makes it good to get across their feelings and emotions though their eyebrows, eyes and body language. This is harder for the creators to do but has a good overall effect in the end. The use of string makes the characters seem sweet and cute as they are like dolls making them appeal to children as well as older people.

I think the audience is for older people though because i think a child would only be able to get so much from it, as its about segregation and isolation, older audiences will spot more and get a better understanding of the character and what he is feeling, but i feel anyone can understand the final message that everyone can accomplish anything so that is also why children would gain from watching an animation such as this one.

Studio Brief 1 - Sweet Cocoon

Sweet Cocoon

Sweet Cocoon is a short animation that was created in 2015 by ESMA is 2015 for SIGGRAPH which is a student competition on 3D animation and Graphics, to which this was an Oscar nominated short.

One thing i love about this animation is that it is a fun take on the butterfly metamorphosis cycle. Audiences form all ages can enjoy this type of animation as it is simple enough for children to understand and learn from but some of the humour can more be enjoyed from older people. The character design used for the insects are playful, colourful and cute which makes the main character more lovable so more people will grow attached to them and therefor the animation.

The type of animation used makes the whole world look full of texture, it also makes certain things look like they are made of Plasticine and have a shine to them.One thing i noticed and liked about this was the camera angles, they needed to show how small the insects were to they zoomed out and showed this whole massive scene so every viewed knew where it was set but how big everything is.

The character development this shows is quite big as the caterpillar turns into a butterfly. The development sadly carries on into the characters death but this animation still carries such an element of lightheartedness that the death is not overly sad which is why it is still good for children to enjoy.

Studio Brief 1 - The Scarecrow

The Scarecrow

This animation was released in 2013 and was created by Chipotle Mexican Grill which was made to promote their new app based game. This shows you just how animation is used today, this was a 3 minute mini movie showing off an app game. It really gets across what the game could be about and an insight into the world in which the game is set, which is very beneficial as more people will buy a game knowing about the context.

The purpose of this animation however was not just for the app, it is looking into using animation to show economical, environmental and political issues of our society that we look over and ignore on a daily basis. The world in the video shows how people love to live in blissful ignorance of problems that are currently not effecting them, hereby leaving them too late to fix. For an animation that includes no dialect, it is amazing how many messages can be understood and taken from this.

In this video, the song is called 'Pure Imagination' and was sung by an artist called Fiona Apple. It is a cover of the original that was performed by Gene Wilder back in 1971. Some people don't understand what the impact of gripping music has on movies and animations, its gripping and so fitting for the core concept of the clip itself.

When watching this i was looking at the character design, i found it amazing how many expressions they created and how even with him being silent, you could see how sad or happy he was, this was also well done when they took the fabric into consideration when distorting his face and manoeuvring the fabric with his eyes and mouth.

Overall i found this animation to be very interesting and inspiring for what it was meant to be getting across to the audience. I am very interested in how silence can create so much more depth sometimes and how you can still make it so emotional which is why i found i wanted to talk about this one as it made me emotional as it was so sad to see what we've been ignoring for so long.